Starting next month, X’s updated privacy policy will entitle it to collect some users’ biometric data and other personal information.

Under the revised policy, which takes effect September 29, X (formerly known as Twitter) “may collect and use your biometric information for safety, security and identification purposes” so long as the user provides consent.

The biometric data collection is for X Premium users only, the company told CBS MoneyWatch when reached for further information.

      • WeLoveCastingSpellz@lemmy.fmhy.net
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        1 year ago

        Like any social media, they make themselves irreplaceable through addiction than users feel like there is no alternative and the company can abuse users as they will.

      • Le0nard6@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        I signed up when borderlands 2 came out. They would give away gold keys every couple of days. I think I maxed them out. I stayed for sports scores and left because of Elon.

    • SpeedLimit55@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Because its still the best (or only) place to get specific news and updates immediately. I mainly follow various sports teams, athletes, and small sports media people. I tried the same on Mastadon but most people are not there. I have not posted anything in many years.

      This biometric stuff is no good though and I will not be participating in that.

      • miss_brainfart@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        Using social media for news has been a bad idea way before the Muskrat had anything to do with it, but sure

        • Amju Wolf@pawb.social
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          1 year ago

          Good! Then convince all those companies and celebrities to use some better platform. Until then that’s what we have.

          • miss_brainfart@lemmy.ml
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            1 year ago

            There’s actual news outlets whose entire thing is sharing properly researched news. Anything else is a crapshoot at best.

            Companies and celebrities who use X exclusively, well idk. Sucks, right?

            • Amju Wolf@pawb.social
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              1 year ago

              LMAO “properly researched news”. What alternative universe do you live in?

              Also, where do you think those actual news outlets get their information from? Most of the time it’s twitter again.

              • miss_brainfart@lemmy.ml
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                1 year ago

                I never said every news outlet does good work, did I.

                Yes, many people who call themselves journalists for some reason don’t look further than Twitter, and that’s a problem too

                • Amju Wolf@pawb.social
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                  1 year ago

                  Maybe you’re better at finding news sources but I laughed because I can’t really think of event a decent outlet, let alone one where I’d think they do genuinely good work.

                  Many people who call themselves journalist nowadays are just literal bots with a tiny bit of editorial oversight.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
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    1 year ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    Under the revised policy, which takes effect September 29, X (formerly known as Twitter) “may collect and use your biometric information for safety, security and identification purposes” so long as the user provides consent.

    The microblogging platform does not define “biometric” in its policy, but the term generally refers to  automated technologies — including facial recognition software, fingerprint taking, and palm and iris scanning — used for authenticating and verifying unique human body characteristics.

    “The announcement is at least an acknowledgement that X will be doing what other social networks have already been doing in a more covert fashion,” said Stephen Wicker, a professor at Cornell University and expert on data privacy,

    X’s move to collect biometric data comes after the website earlier this year introduced a subscription verification model that requires users to submit their government-approved identification to receive a blue checkmark on their accounts.

    A lawsuit, filed in July alleges that X has not “adequately informed individuals who have interacted (knowingly or not) with [its platform], that it collects and/or stores their biometric identifiers in every photograph containing a face that is uploaded to [the website].”

    In 2021, Facebook agreed to a $650 million settlement of a privacy lawsuit for allegedly using photo face-tagging and other biometric data without users’ consent.


    The original article contains 539 words, the summary contains 211 words. Saved 61%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

  • mac@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    Forgive my ignorance, but do mobile devices even store biometric data ? I was under the impression that our biometric data would be hashed and salted and our thumb/face would unlock it, akin to how a normal password flow works…?

    • TWeaK@lemm.ee
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      I think what they’re implying here is that X (and other apps) can access the biometric sensors directly themselves.